HYP 
the preceding. It is a native of the fouth of Europe; 
and was introduced in 1773 by Monf. Reichard. It flow¬ 
ers in July and Auguft. 
10. Hyoferis Cre'tica, or Cretan hyoferis : fruits ovate, 
rugged. Hem branched. Root annual, round, fibrous, 
white within, brown without. Stems feveral, half a foot 
high, fpreading, fomewhat hifpid. Native of Candia, the 
county of Nice, and common about Madrid, flowering in 
May and June; with us in June and July. It was cul¬ 
tivated by Mr. Miller in 1739. 
Propagation and Culture. Thefe are all hardy plants, ex¬ 
cept the fixth, and may eafily be propagared from feeds, 
either fown in the fpring, or left to Icatter of themfelves. 
The fixth requires the protection of a green-lioufe. They 
moftly require a dry foil. 
HYP, /! [from hypochondria.] The hypochondria; a 
kind of melancholy, lownel's of fpirits. 
To HYP, v. a. [barbaroufly contracted from hypochon¬ 
driac. ] To make melancholy; to difpirit.—I have been to 
the laid degree hypped fince I faw you. SpcElator. 
KYP'ALLAGE, f. [Greek.] A figure by which words 
change their cafes with each other. 
HYP'ANIS, a river of European Scythia, now called 
Bog, which falls into the Boryftlienes, and with it into 
the Euxine.—A river of India.—Another of Pontus.—A 
Trojan who joined himfelf to zEneas, and was killed by 
his own people, who took him for one of the endmy, in 
the night that Troy was burned by the Greeks. 
HYPA'TIA, a female philofopher of the ecleftic feCt, 
whofe extenfive learning, elegant manners, and tragical 
end, have rendered her name immortal, was the daugh¬ 
ter-of Theon, the celebrated mathematician of Alexan¬ 
dria. As fire exhibited early proofs that flie poffeffed an 
acute and penetrating judgment, and great fertility of ge¬ 
nius, her talents were cultivated with affiduity by her fa¬ 
ther, and other preceptors. Befides being educated in all 
the qualifications belonging to her fex, and made miltrefs 
of the different branches of polite learning, file became 
molt intimately conversant in the fciences of geometry 
and aftronomy, as far as they were then underltood. Af¬ 
terwards flie entered upon the Itudy of philofophy, which 
Ihe profecuted with fuch uncommon fuccefs, that, accord¬ 
ing to the teftimony of Socrates the ecclefialtical hifto- 
rian, Ihe excelled all the philofophers of her time. So 
high was the reputation which Ihe acquired, that fhe was 
ftrongly folicited to become a public preceptrefs in the 
fchool where Ammonius, Hierocles, and other celebrated 
philofophers, had taught. Such was her love of fcience, 
that it enabled her fo far to fubdue the natural diffidence 
of her fex, that Ihe yielded to the public voice, and ex¬ 
changed her female decorations for the philofopher’s 
cloak. In the fchools, and other places of public refort, 
flie difcourfed upon philofophical topics, explaining, and 
endeavouring to reconcile, the fyftems of Plato, Ariltotle, 
and other mailers. Her fame foon became fo extended, 
that perfons who made philofophy their ftudy crowded 
to Alexandria from ail parts. She was diftinguillied by a 
ready elocution, and graceful addrefs ; which, united with 
true erudition and found judgment, procured her as many 
admirers as Hie had auditors. Among other fcholars who 
attended her inltru&ions was Synefius, afterwards bilhop 
of Ptolemais in Africa. She was held in refpeft and ad¬ 
miration, however, not only by thofe who formed her au¬ 
ditories in the fchools, but by the molt eminent charac¬ 
ters in Alexandria, of all ranks and orders, and was fre¬ 
quently confulted by the magiftrates in cafes of import¬ 
ance. What reflects the highelt honour on her memory 
Is, that fhe was not intoxicated by the court that was paid 
to her from all quarters ; that, though Ihe excelled moll 
cf the philofophers Qf her age in mathematical and philo¬ 
fophical fcience, Ihe difcovered no pride of learning ; and 
that, though in perfon exceedingly beautiful, flie never 
yielded to the impulfe of female vanity, or gave occalion 
to the flighted fufpicion againft her chaftity. 
Vol.X. No. 693. 
H Y P 641 
With a perfon poffeffed of fuch extraordinary accom- 
plilhments and virtues, it would be the pride of the molt 
illuftrious characters in Alexandria to become acquainted. 
Accordingly, her lioufe became the general refort of per¬ 
fons of learning and diftimffion. But it was impoftible- 
that fo much merit lliould not excite envy ; and unhap¬ 
pily, the qualifications and attainments to which fhe was 
indebted for her celebrity, proved in the iffue the occa- 
fion of her deftruftion. At that time Orelies, a man of a 
liberal education, and intimately acquainted with Hypa¬ 
tia, whom he frequently confulted, was governor of Alex¬ 
andria ; and Cyril, a bilhop of great authority, filled the 
patriarchal chair of that city. This prelate, in the vehe¬ 
mence of his bigoted zeal, was guilty of an unpardon¬ 
able ftretch of ecclefialtical power, in fuffering the popu¬ 
lace to plunder the property of the Jew's, and expelling 
them from Alexandria. Oreftes laid this opprefiive con¬ 
duct before the emperor; and Cyril, on his part, com¬ 
plaining of the feditious temper, of the Jews, endeavoured 
to juftify his proceedings. But, as the emperor declined 
to interpofe his authority, Alexandria foon became a fcene 
of tumult and conteff between the partifans pf the gover¬ 
nor and bilhop. It is noticed above that Oieltes was in¬ 
timately acquainted with Hypatia ; and it appears that at 
this time flie had frequent conferences with him. This 
intimacy now became a ground of jealoufy and envy to 
Cyril, who could not bear that his rival lliould have it in 
his power to avail himfelf of her wife advice ; on which 
account alfo, flie was much calumniated by.his partifans, 
as if Ihe prevented a reconciliation between Cyril and 
Oreffes. Their refentment at length rofe to fuch a height, 
that they entered into a confplracy againft her life. Af¬ 
ter watching for a favourable opportunity of carrying their 
murderous defign into execution, a band of ruffians feized 
upon her as flie was returning home from the fchools, 
forced her from her chair, and then dragged her through 
the ftreets to the Ccefarean church ; where, after ftripping 
her naked, they maffacred her with extreme barbarity, 
and, having torn her body limb from limb, committed it 
to the flames. This horrid and infamous deed brought 
no little difgrace on Cyril and the Alexandrian church. 
Attempts have been made to remove all imputation from 
the bilhop, of being in any refpeft concerned in it; but 
they are far from being fatisfaftory. Hypatia was mur¬ 
dered under the reign of the emperor Theodofius II. in 
the year 415. Hence it is certain that flie could not have 
been, as Suidas relates, the wife of Ifidorus the philofopher, 
who was not born till about fifty years afterwards. It is 
probable that through her whole life flie remained in a 
ftate of celibacju 
HYPEC'OUM,/! [from Gr. to refound.] Wilis 
Cummin ; in botany, a genus of the clafs tetrandria, or¬ 
der digynia, natural order of corydales, (papaveracere, 
JuJf.) The generic charafters are—Calyx: periantkium 
tw'o-leaved, fmall; leaflets ovate, acute, ereft, oppoiite, 
deciduous. Corolla: four-petalled ; the two outer petals 
opponte, broader, trifid, obtufe ; the two inner alternate 
with the others, femitrifid; the middle fegment concave, 
compreffed, erect. Stamina : filaments four, awl-ftiaped, 
ereft, covered by the middle fegment of the inner petals. 
Anthers ereft, oblong. Piftillum : germ oblong, cylin¬ 
drical; ftyles two, veryfliort; ftigmas acute. Pericarpiunu 
filique long, curved inwards, jointed. Seeds: folitary in 
each joint of the pericarpium, globular, compreffed.— Ef- 
fential Chara&er. Calyx two-leaved ; petals four, the two 
outer broader and trifid ; fruit a filique. 
Species. 1. Hypecoum procutnbens, or procumbent liy- 
pecoum : liliques bowed, compreffed, jointed. Root Am¬ 
ple, fometimes bifid, long, but annual, having but fevr 
fibres. Leaves divided by many incifures, fomewhat re- 
fembling thofe of fumitory, pale green with a tinge of 
greyifli or glaucous colour, fpfead on the ground. Stems 
feveral, (lender, fomewhat compreffed, naked at bottom, 
but having two or three fmall leaves at top, of the fame 
8 A ftiaps 
